LaPorta undergoes surgery on left hip

LaPorta undergoes surgery on left hip
Slugger will need 4-6 months to recover from procedure

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

10/14/09 2:00 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- Matt LaPorta limped his way through the final weeks of the 2009 season because of a lingering left hip issue.

But while the Indians had said rest would be good for what was ailing LaPorta, it turns out surgery was necessary.

LaPorta, slated to be a regular in the Indians' lineup at first base and/or the corner outfield positions next season, will be behind in Spring Training camp as a result of left arthroscopic hip surgery performed by Dr. Marc Philippon in Vail, Colo., on Tuesday.

LaPorta, a key acquisition in the 2008 trade that sent CC Sabathia to the Brewers, also had a surgical procedure performed by Dr. Thomas Clanton to address his left big toe, which he injured while running into the wall at Fenway Park on the last day of the season.

Head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff was expected to address LaPorta's situation with reporters Wednesday afternoon.

According to a release from the Tribe, LaPorta will need 4-6 months to recover from the hip procedure, in which Philippon performed a debridement of a bony impingement in the hip joint. That would obviously affect LaPorta's preseason conditioning in Spring Training. His situation might be comparable to that of Travis Hafner this year. Recovering from shoulder surgery, Hafner was a couple weeks behind his teammates in camp and wasn't ready to play on an everyday basis at the start of the season. The Indians are obviously hopeful LaPorta's recovery will be quicker.

LaPorta will remain in Vail for a week before spending most of his offseason rehabbing in Goodyear, Ariz.

The Indians project the 24-year-old LaPorta to become a fixture in the middle of their order. The 2009 season was just his second full professional season, and he split it between Triple-A Columbus, where he hit .299 with a .917 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) in 93 games, and the big leagues, where he made his debut and batted .254 with a .750 OPS in 52 games.

With the Tribe, LaPorta made 29 starts in left field, 10 in right and 10 at first base, which is believed to be his future home. He batted .273 with 12 doubles, six homers and 17 RBIs in 39 games from Aug. 19 to the end of the season. He missed several games in September because of hip inflammation,

LaPorta became the third member of the Tribe to have surgery at season's end. Last week, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, while reliever Chris Perez had surgery to remove a loose bone and a cyst in his left ankle. Center fielder Grady Sizemore had season-ending surgeries on his left elbow and left lower abdominal wall in September.

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.